The Sea of Change

by Tina Engel

  Adam came over to us and sat down too. “Princess, Brett’s right in that we have our laws that we must abide by. It isn’t up to me to share with you Jordan’s story without his permission, and the approval from the elders. I didn’t lie to you. He is just as human as you were before Brett came into your life. That’s all…”

  Just then, Jordan came from the walkway and interrupted Adam in mid-sentence. “Tell her, go ahead, she saw too much to be able to pretend. I broke the law but I don’t care. I had to save her or die trying. I will not fail a royal again.” And at that, Jordan turned around and headed back down to the deck below.

  I looked to Adam for answers but didn’t speak. There was something going on and I wanted to know, but knew if I pushed I might not get any answers at all. The look of despair and self-loathing that I saw on Jordan’s face had me wondering; maybe I didn’t want to know his story.

  Brett spoke up then, “Adam, Jordan’s right. She should know, and at this point the elders shouldn’t care. He broke the law so it’s a moot point for you to keep silent. I don’t know his story, only that he is one of the few fey ever to be banished from the fey world forever, and turned into a human to live forever in that form.

  I remember as a child, the stories that all fey children were told. If you didn’t do what you were told, naughty little fey would be turned into humans and live forever in solitude. That’s a scary thing for a child to believe. I always thought they were just stories to scare little fey, until I saw Jordan change from human to fey.”

  Chapter 11

  Don’t judge

  Until you have walked in my shoes,

  Don’t assume

  Until you’ve been there.

  I’m not what you see

  So don’t make a decision.

  Come and spend time with me.

  Now I was really confused and couldn’t imagine what Jordan could have done, that was so serious, to be banished from his world and put into the human’s world forever. Wait a minute, that isn’t so bad, is it? Being human? I thought.

  I sat there quietly, trying to act like I was patiently waiting, but inside I was screaming for him to start talking. Brett reached over and took my hand is his, squeezing it slightly and laying my hand on his lap. I looked over at Brett and he smiled a sweet smile, and the calming way I felt with our connection, helped me to relax just a bit.

  Adam was quiet for a while, deep in thought. He then began to tell Jordan Davis’s Story.

  “Emilee, there’s a lot about our world that you will learn as time goes on. We have rules and laws, just as all living creatures do; be it fey or humans or other creatures in the different dimensions on this planet, or others out there amongst the stars. Our livelihood is simple really; we have very few rules to follow. But the rules are strict and punishment is brutal if you break them. That’s why we have few rules to live by.

  “One law is never to interact with humans, unless given permission from the council or elders, as some call then. Humans need to grow and develop on their own, without interference as much as possible. Only the elite of fey, who have been here for ages, are allowed to interact when need be.

  “Second law is to never take another’s life unless yours is threatened, or it is a lower life form that is put here for our nourishment. Some of the life beings in our world are for food, but we must only take what we need, while still leaving them alive and well; such as the pixies.

  “These two rules or laws, which ever you prefer to call them, if broken, are punishable by two ways. One is being in debt to the family from which you took the life; helping them, or as some say, being their slave for as long as the council decides. The other punishment for interfering with the human population, is not being allowed to enter the human world for a determined amount of time, depending on the severity of the interference done.

  Brett’s Brother Stephan, if I can use him as an example,”

  At that comment, Adam looked towards Brett, and Brett nodded his head in an upward motion, as if to say “Yes.”

  So Adam continued, “Stephan broke both laws and was sentence to work for an entire fey town; a pixie town to be exact, and was banned from the human world indefinitely. He was being made, an example, to all fey. We didn’t know what human he had interfered with, but all knew the pixie community. The council kept the human’s name a secret. They didn’t want to invite curiosity from the fey people, having some go, and watch this human and judge. It might make it hard for some to not interfere again.

  “Stephan disappeared just before he was to start his sentence. The council looked for Stephan for ages and just recently discovered that he had gone to the dark one. We all know now, that you were the human he had interfered with, and that he had been working for the dark one for centuries, acting as a spy.

  “The third, and most serious law, is to never take the life of an elder. There are no excuses or reasonable explanations for this crime. Even if it was an accident, it doesn’t matter. This crime carries the most severe punishment. The fey who commits this crime is stripped of his fey being. Its second heart is put into a deep sleep that only the council can awaken, and then they are turned into a human, as human as possible anyway. They will live for eternity in this form, or until a human kills them.

  “That may seem simple; just aggravate a human enough to provoke them into ending your life. Unfortunately the council watches and has a way of interfering just enough to stop any human from wanting to.

  “This fey is also banned from ever entering the fey dimension again. They are shunned by the fey people. They know that they are there, all around, but can’t communicate. It’s a lonely existence and painful emotionally. Their fey souls are locked up in this human body, never to be able to break out and be free, as the rest of the fey do when entering the fey realm.”

  Adam stood then and paced around deck for a few minutes. I wanted to speak, but Brett squeezed my hand and I looked up into his eyes. He shook his head as if to say “no”. He had a look of sadness and sympathy on his face. I knew then, that the third crime was what Jordan Davis had committed.

  The vibration between Brett and I intensified. I could feel his pain and anger. I suspected the pain was for Jordan, and the anger was focused on Stephan, and what he had done to me in the past, when I was human. Brett squeezed my hand a little tighter, not hurting me, but squeezing nevertheless.

  I could feel what he was feeling. I could see things that he was thinking. He was reliving a moment in time. It was a moment when Brett was a young boy with his big brother, Stephan. He was crying as Stephan taunted him for being a coward.

  Brett realized that I was in his mind. He had a look of horror on his face and released my hand instantly. I felt abandoned at that moment, as if he tore away a part of me.

  Brett’s expression changed to acceptance then, realizing what he had done to me. He took my hand in his again, squeezed it gently and that reassuring vibration returned, but I was not able to enter his thoughts again, for the best at this time, I was sure.

  Adam cleared his throat, reminding us that he was there. We both looked at him with a slight embarrassed look, on our faces.

  “Do you want me to continue, or do you both want to take your joining somewhere more private?” He asked.

  I could tell that Brett was irritated with this statement and started to stand and defend himself, and me, but I gently tugged on his hand that I still held, and he sat back down.

  “Yes, please continue Adam.” I said. “I need to know everything if I am to continue to learn about my real world.”

  Adam sat back down and continued. “Jordan was a young man. He worked for the council. You see, the council has fey who do their bidding. These fey travel to places where the council sends them. This is how the council gets there information about what is going on in the fey world. The council only leaves their sanctuary when absolutely necessary. Adam was one of their most trusted guards and informants. He had been with them a long time. Jordan was the o
ne who trained the new guards. He believed in the laws of our world, and had no pity on those who broke them.

  “One day, a new member of the council was sworn in. She was a much young fey, and this was unusual. The council is made up of older and wiser fey who have survived the challenges put before them as fey. They have lived long lives, understand the purpose of fey and human kind, and realize that we are all one in the spectrum of this universe.

  “Some fey also have a gift that all fey are not blessed with. There are a few who are blessed by a higher force. They have been given a gift of enlightenment. They can see deep within our very essence when they lay hands on us. It’s a gift that most keep hidden in the beginning. When the parents realize that their child has this gift, they teach that child to hide it.

  “There are those who don’t agree with the council and would like to see it destroyed. These are the dark fey. If no child with this gift grows to adulthood and learns the ways of the council, then the council would eventually diminish and those who despise the council would take control of the fey realm.

  “All fey know that these dark fey exist, but they are so secretive that they can be your neighbors, family, friends or another family of fey that live in the fey dimension, and you wouldn’t know.

  “When these fey, who are special, decide it’s their time to join the council, they approach them and allow the council to see into their very souls.

  “There are few who try to trick the elders, but the pure essence in all of us can not lie. Those who try to deceive the elders are punished. It’s not as severe as the other punishment; eternity as a human. It does, however, stop others from wanting to try this.

  “You see, the council can reverse a life, taking way the years that they have lived. What I mean by this is, they become a baby again. All memories and experiences are put into a deep sleep. They start life over from the beginning. Memories can never be erased. They are a part of this great universe that we all exist in. It’s been told that at the end of their second chance at life, if they lived it well, when they enter the spiritual realm, Nirvana, for the final time, they are given back all of their memories. These fey are then strong enough to accept them. No fey wants this. It would mean that you would be that much farther from your final resting place, Nirvana, a place of total peace and tranquility.

  “The council then gives this child to the orphanage where others will raise them. No fey knows however which child is reborn from their corrupt ways in the orphanage. The council wants this child to have the best chance of growing up and having a second chance. If other fey knew, then it would tarnish this fey’s chance of success.

  “The council also has small fey brought to these places to be raised. There are many of these homes all over our realm. Sometimes it’s a child who is lost and reunited with its family later. Other times, the parents of a small fey perish at the hands of another, they disappear, or die in an accident. Disappearances are rare, but they do happen. Where they go we can only assume; the dark side.”

  Adam stopped talking and stood again to pace. I realized I was aching from sitting so long, and still wet from being in the water. I realized also that I was shivering just a bit. Was I cold, or just overwhelmed by what I was hearing? This new world that I belonged to, had a dark side too, and I didn’t mean from the DARK side. Rules and laws have to be enforced or there would be total chaos; I understood this.

  I didn’t know how long we had been sitting there, listening to this story, but it must have been for a while because the sun was starting to set. The crew also seemed anxious to be able to get back on deck and continue with their fishing. One crew member would stick their head around the control area, or from down below, every once in a while to see if we were done yet.

  Brett spoke then. “I suggest we get out of our wet clothes and let these men get back to work. We’re behind in the quota of fish that we are supposed to be delivering tomorrow, so they will be fishing all night.”

  Adam stopped pacing and agreed. He suggested that we dry off and meet in the dining room for dinner, and he would finish the explanation of what exactly Jordan Davis was or is.

  I started to ask about everyone else eating, but Adam answered before I could open my mouth. “Don’t worry Princess Emilee, it’s late and they have already eaten; those of them who wanted to anyway. I think everyone is a bit on edge after what happened today.”

  It was later than I thought, and I so wanted to stand in the hot shower for a while. Strange, I had no desire to go back into the lake. Okay, yes I wanted to go into the lake. I needed the lake water, I knew, but just couldn’t bring myself to go into the lake where that poor creature was used, and then killed because of me.

  Brett was there in my mind. I could see him as clear as day. I had changed some since I started going into this lake. The water had changed me. He was there, feeling what I was feeling. He squeezed my hand, still holding it, and stood, pulling me gently to my feet. We all headed towards the walkway to go down below.

  Adam yelled “It’s safe to come out now, get back to work!” He said this with a gruff voice, but it also had a hint of sarcasm in it. The crew came up from below, and from around the control room, with smiles on their faces, eager to get busy.

  We headed down the stairs and to my door. I was feeling quite weak and tired, so Brett had to steady me, keeping his arm around my waist. Well, maybe he wanted to do this not just because I was feeling weak.

  Adam said, “I’ll clean up and make sure that dinner is ready for us and make sure Trevor is busy elsewhere. I’m telling you who Jordan really is, but only you. No one else is to know.”

  Adam went inside. As he was closing the door I got a glimpse of Jordan. He was in Adam’s room. I felt a pang of sympathy for him. I didn’t know his story, but I knew enough to understand that he was in pain and had been for a long time.

  I turned from Adam’s door, looking up into Brett’s face. His eyes were green, he needed to feed, and his face was pale.

  “Do I look as bad as you do?” I asked, with a hint of sarcasm in my voice. I smiled, and he did too.

  “Yes, Princess, I think you probably do. Rose should be in your room and I suggest you have a little snack before you shower, so you don’t fall and hit your head. I would hate to have to go in there and heal you while you’re in the shower with nothing on.” He was smiling after he finished saying this, and I smacked him on the arm.

  Brett laughed a hearty laugh, and I was surprised that he had that much energy left to do that. He was still holding my hand. He never let it go all the while Adam was talking up top, or as we came down stairs. Brett squeezed it when he finished talking and bending down, kissed me on the cheek.

  He then whispered in my ear, “You smell like dead fish, go take a shower. I would probably like to kiss you more if you didn’t smell so bad.” He let go of my hand and opened the door. As the door swung open, Rose practically fell backwards.

  “Eavesdropping, are we Rose?” Brett said, with a chuckle.

  Rose looked horrified and then a little pissed off, and said in a motherly way, “It’s about time you brought her back to her cabin. She needs to get out of those wet clothes and take in some nourishment.”

  Brett just chuckled, but then looking at me, he said, “She’s right; you need to get warm, dry and fed.” He had the sweetest look on his face when he said this.

  His look then turned to mischief, as he said, “Your dinner is standing there waiting for you.” And he smiled a wicked little smile, but I knew he was just giving Rose a bad time.

  Lily was lying on my bed in her fey form, and let out a mischievous laugh.

  Of course Rose didn’t like Brett’s attitude, or the smirk on his face, so she walked over, pushed him back just a bit and shut the door in his face. She then turned towards Lily and told her to shut up.

  I was taken aback by this bossy Rose, but then I really shouldn’t be. She does have a sassy attitude at times.

  “There!” Rose said, “Now g
et into the shower and warm up. You’re shivering.”

  We heard Brett’s voice from behind the door, yelling, “She needs to eat first. I will come in there and heal her if she falls in the shower. It would be my pleasure!”

  Rose hit the door hard and I started laughing hysterically. I was so tired and cold but this was so funny. Lily started to laugh again too. I lost my balance, laughing harder as Lily laughed, and I plopping down on the floor.

  Brett yelled, a bit, more seriously, “Rose is she alright?”

  Rose sat down next to me, put her arm in front on my face and said in a matter of fact way as she glared at Lily, “Yes, she is! Now leave us alone for just a while so I can get her strong, warm and dry.”

  “I’ll go get the algae that Andean left on deck earlier. It should still be okay to eat. I’ll have Trevor fix the concoction for you.” Brett said.

  It was quiet then, and the sweet connection and vibration got less and less between Brett and I, until it was no more. He had gone downstairs. Well it wasn’t totally gone. I knew he was on the boat and I knew he was below me. How did I know this? This was a new sensation and I liked it. It made me feel safe.

  I took Rose’s arm in my hand, and putting it to my mouth and biting gently, I broke the skin. As my mouth filled with Rose’s blood, I could taste the sweet flavor of iron. Sorry folks but at this point in my existence it is a sweet flavor. I drank for only a few minutes and was done. I didn’t want to drain her too much. I knew she must have given Trevor some of her blood to mix with the algae that I would be consuming later, at dinner.

  I healed Rose’s arm and stood to head to the bathroom and a warm shower. I stumbled a bit, feeling a little off balance but regained my balance quickly.

  “Are you alright, Princess? Do you need me to help you to the bathroom?” Rose asked, with a concerned look on her face.